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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30125733">meleth-e-guilen</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/laehys/pseuds/laehys'>laehys</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst and Feels, Elf/Human Relationship(s), M/M, The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings Fusion</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-04-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 02:28:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,000</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30125733</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/laehys/pseuds/laehys</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>They say that a love between an elf and a human is doomed from the very start, but Jaemin is willing to take the risk if that means spending some years by Renjun’s side.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>96</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Challenge #6 — In Another Life</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>meleth-e-guilen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>thank you to the mods for organizing another round! you guys are amazing!<br/>and thank you to everyone who heard me ramble about this fic and helped me &lt;3</p><p>i tried my best with the sindarin but plz forgive me if i made a big mistake kjhsjfhd the translations are next to the sindarin words!<br/><i>Meleth-e-guilen</i>: love of my life</p><p> </p><p>also: i just need everyone to know that jaemin has long hair. yes.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"It's not going to be an easy life. You know that, don't you?"</p><p>The skies are a mix of orange and pink, hints of purple arriving from the horizon, the blue swirling around it as millions of stars shine bright without the clouds obstructing the view, the moon rising to settle into her throne in the night sky.</p><p>A deep sigh escapes from Jaemin's chest — he wishes the apprehension he feels inside could leave together with the little white fog that runs from his lips, the breath mixing together with the breeze, but it doesn't. It's still there, buried inside his chest, hiding behind his ribcage and weighing him down, reminding him that life wasn't fair and he couldn't have everything he wanted.</p><p>"Why wouldn't it be?" Jaemin asks instead. He looks up at the stars one last time, silently sending a prayer to the Valar, to Eru, to anyone who could listen to him, before he turns back to his father. "And even if it wasn't... wouldn't it be worth it, Father? Wouldn't it be better to have some years of pure happiness than to spend ages just wondering and regretting everything?"</p><p>His father has deep eyes who hold more knowledge than Jaemin has in his entire body. He'd seen wars before, he'd spilled blood for his people, crossed great distances in search of a place to call it home and bid his spouse a farewell before she answered the call and crossed the ocean. His father knew about pain and despair, but he also knew about love and hope. And even if he didn't approve of Jaemin's wishes, he'd still accept and let him learn from his own pain and experiences.</p><p>"Maybe," his father replies after a while, the wind ruffling his long hair behind him. "But the pain would still be present to keep you company for ages to come after your lover's passing. A relationship between an elf and a human has no way of working, my son. You know that. You know how the stories go. But if what's your heart wishes to do, then perhaps it's because you're also strong enough to handle the heartache that'll surely come after."</p><p>"There's no pain when I'm with him."</p><p>"Not yet."</p><p><em>Not all elves suffered when falling for a human</em>, Jaemin thinks, a hint of desperation lacing his mind. <em>Lúthien and Beren were together in the end.</em></p><p>But, deep inside, he knows his father is right. While some years of happiness might be ahead of him, after Renjun's passing there would be nothing else but the entire world and the rest of his existence; for being a human, Renjun wouldn't sail into Valinor where they could spend eternity together — that was Jaemin's destiny as an elf. A burden for him to carry by himself.</p><p>Almost as if sensing the thoughts that roamed inside Jaemin's mind, his father rests a hand on Jaemin's shoulder, squeezing it once before letting his hand fall back to the side of his body. "You're strong," he says, "and you'll survive through this. It might feel like you can't handle it and there's no hope, but trust the Valar and your own strength, my son."</p><p>"Do you give me your blessings, Father?"</p><p>The sky has now become darker and what were hints of purple and blue have now turned into swirls of orange and pink into the distance, the moonlight shining down upon them. Jaemin's father's hair shines brightly under it, his skin emitting a soft glow. He looks hard at Jaemin for a while, eyes unraveling his entire soul and existence before he nods once and sighs heavily, turning to the side.</p><p>"It pains me that you'd willingly choose this fate for yourself, but I cannot hold you down, Jaemin, for your heart has chosen him already. I cannot see your future for it's too clouded for me, but I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers."</p><p>Jaemin nods, lowering his head.</p><p>While they don't call it <em>soulmates</em>, it's known that elves have few lovers that shake them to the core and gain their undivided loyalty. Sometimes you live centuries and millenniums before meeting the special person, but it's known that once you meet them there's nothing you wouldn't do to be together with them — be that raging wars or defying the gods. <em>Half of my soul</em>, Jaemin remembers his mother saying a long time ago, looking straight at his father's eyes as they held hands. <em>And together we're One</em>.</p><p>"Does he wait for you?"</p><p>"Yes, he does," Jaemin answers. "He still worries even when I remind him that I can take care of myself. I think that sometimes he forgets that I was a warrior."</p><p>Jaemin's father gives him a small smile, something that speaks of a secret only he knows, but he steps to the side and raises his hand. "May the stars shine brightly down on your path and offer you guidance when you need it. Remember you always have a home here, my son."</p><p>Jaemin watches him leave, whispering "<em>Nanarad agevedim</em>" (<em>Until we meet next)</em> to his retreating back, the glint of his father's long blonde hair being the last thing he sees before the trees block his sight.</p><p>The moon and the stars keep Jaemin company as he walks back. There's no fear in his body about any dangers that might lurk into the woods — he grew up playing among those trees and he knows every place, every nook there. He fought the giant spiders in this land, he patrolled it in search of invaders and monsters, and his eyes are well-adjusted to the low lighting that the night concedes.</p><p>It takes him longer than usual to get back, but Jaemin takes his time. It's not a farewell because he knows he'll see these trees, he'll walk among that familiar path again in the future, but it almost feels like one. So his fingers brush against the giant tree that marks the trail that leads to the lake with its warm waters, he closes his eyes and breathes in the pure air that smells of home, he plucks a yellow flower high up in a tree and keeps it safe inside his clothes.</p><p>It's very late when he arrives at the small cottage that Renjun had built with his bare hands years ago and yet, before Jaemin can get close enough, he sees the smoke that reaches the clouds from the lit fireplace inside and the shadows that are created against the drawn curtains. While Jaemin didn't exactly expect Renjun to be asleep, he also had had a <em>little</em> bit of hope that maybe he'd succumbed to an easy sleep already.</p><p>But it's Renjun after all, and he worries even if he's seen Jaemin fight before and knows he can defend himself.</p><p>Jaemin's knuckles rasp against the door twice before he turns the doorknob, allowing himself in. There's a sharp intake of breath that he hears before a sudden weight knocks the wind out of his chest, arms wrapping itself around his waist and a head nuzzling against the side of his neck, shaky breaths grazing against his skin.</p><p>"You're here," Renjun says, relief coloring his every word, his shoulders dropping with the vanishing of the tenseness that resided there. "You took so much longer... I was so worried..."</p><p>Jaemin can't help but chuckle a little. This human here — him, with his fragile body and bones and being; him, just a little spark in the immensity of life and existence; him, worried about an immortal creature that could his own.</p><p>But that's who Renjun is: always worried about others, wanting to take care of those who didn't even need his concern, shining brighter than a thousand suns and exuding love and tenderness with his every move.</p><p>"<em>Goheno nin, melethen,</em>" Jaemin says, a soft smile forming on his face. He pulls back from Renjun's embrace, holding the sides of his face to drop a kiss on Renjun's forehead. "I mean that—"</p><p>"<em>Sorry, my beloved</em>," Renjun replies faster, cutting Jaemin off. A confident smile spreads on his lips. "That's what it means. You call me <em>melethen</em> too much for me not to know it by now."</p><p>"I guess I'm guilty of that." Jaemin places a quick kiss on the corner of Renjun's mouth. "<em>Gin melin, Renjun. </em><em>Ech pân i olthannen</em><em>.</em>"</p><p>"Now that's unfair," Renjun replies, twitching his nose and stepping back to let Jaemin have space to take of his leather armor and the bow strapped on his back. "I know <em>melin</em> though. I guess I <em>melin</em> you too?" He makes a little frustrated noise. "I'm not that advanced in Sindarin yet."</p><p><em>I love you, Renjun. </em><em>You are all I dreamed,</em> Jaemin thinks, repeating his earlier words. It fills his heart so much that it feels like someone shouldn't be able to hold so much inside.</p><p>"I know, my love, but let me have a little bit of fun before you get to understand everything I say."</p><p>Jaemin places his boots next to the door and leaves his bow on the dinner table, hanging his quiver on a chair. He unwraps his cape, the material as soft as when he first got it centuries ago, and leaves it over another chair, ignoring Renjun's sigh. He sends the human a playful smile over his shoulder, winking when he catches his narrowed gaze.</p><p>"I'll take care of it later," Jaemin says. "I'll fix and clean everything when you're sleeping."</p><p>"You won't," Renjun replies easily. "You're going to forget to do that again. Don't even try me, Jaemin, I know all your tricks by now."</p><p>Renjun lifts a finger up, pointing threateningly at Jaemin, but his posture is relaxed and his façade soon is broken when a giggle escapes him. He waits for Jaemin to get cleaned and changed, to put his weapons away and safe before wrapping his arms around him once more.</p><p>"I missed you," Renjun confesses, his voice something low. It's a secret between them and only them — there's no one close to where they are, no one who could hear for miles and miles, but Renjun still says it quietly, carefully handling Jaemin his feelings and heart. He doesn't need to be loud and big about it. "You took longer than usual and I feared something could've happened. My heart can finally be at ease now."</p><p>Jaemin hums. He hugs Renjun back, his chin resting on the top of Renjun's head, feeling the warm puffs of air that Renjun breathes out against his neck. <em>Such a delicate and fragile being,</em> he thinks. <em>But so resilient and strong too. Unbroken even with everything that life throws at him.</em></p><p>"I might have gotten a little sidetracked, but I'm here now." Jaemin doesn't say what he'd been doing before that got him to arrive late; it was something only in between him and the place that helped to shape him into who he had become. "But you should be sleeping—you need rest and I can take care of myself. You know that."</p><p>"I know you can, but I can't fall asleep when you're out there and I don't know if you're safe. If you'd gotten hurt, how would I know? Would someone even tell me about it? I wouldn't be able to visit you..."</p><p>Jaemin doesn't have an answer for that. Humans aren't allowed into any elven settlements, and the patrols they do on their borders ensure to keep them out. If Jaemin had gotten hurt while in the forest and was found by other elves, being brought back into the heart of their kingdom, Renjun wouldn't be allowed to visit him, no matter if he pled and asked to talk with the Elvenking. Humans weren't welcome and the elves kept their distance from them, reinforcing their limits and refusing to interact unless it was strictly necessary.</p><p>Even then, their saddest ballads and poems were about star-crossed lovers separated by life; one forced to keep living and holding the burden of a broken relationship while the other was somewhere far-away.</p><p>Renjun wouldn't be warned if something happened to him and they both knew it. Jaemin didn't need to say anything about that, so he only hums a little, the rumble making his chest vibrate, and he waddles with Renjun — still in his embrace — in the direction of their bed, falling with his back towards the mattress and feeling most of the fall, smiling with the little shriek that Renjun does as he topples over.</p><p>"<em>Jaemin</em>!" He shrieks, splaying his hands on the bed and shuffling to the side, running a hand through his hair to pull it away from his face.</p><p>Jaemin grins wide at seeing the flush creeping in Renjun's cheeks, the glint in his eyes and the bright smile that makes him glow. He doesn't move from his position — half-lying, half-sitting, feet still touching the floor —, but he keeps his eyes trained on Renjun who laughs again, mirth leaking from his every action.</p><p><em>Yes,</em> Jaemin thinks. <em>A lifetime of pain would be worth it to be able to have him and this for just a little bit.</em></p><p>"Come <em>on</em>," Renjun says, stressing the last word and rolling his eyes, even though there's still a smile on his face. He pulls Jaemin's arm and pulls up the blankets in a silent invitation. "It's late and we need to sleep."</p><p>Though elves didn't need sleep as much as humans did, Jaemin is very fond of that little routine and he quickly gets underneath the blankets, making himself comfortable. The fireplace is still lit, the warm air rolling over them, but it's more for Renjun than for Jaemin.</p><p>Jaemin lays on his side and makes a little noise when Renjun shuffles close to him, their knees bumping against each other.</p><p>"Sleep, <em>melethen</em>. You need to wake up early and the sunrise isn't too far away. You need your rest."</p><p>"I will, I will," Renjun says. He closes his eyes and scrunches up his nose a little, lips forming a little pout. When he blinks his eyes open, a few seconds later, the motion is slower and lethargic. He yawns. "But I also want to spend some time with you... Let me look at you for a while and then I'll sleep... You were gone the entire day..."</p><p>Jaemin is many things: a warrior, a friend, a son, a lover. <em>A fool</em>, some said when he left their settlement for good to stay with a human. <em>Still a child.</em></p><p>With centuries under his belt and holding such a precious small number of years in the palm of his hands, he doesn't feel like a child. Renjun's life span could pass in the blink of an eye for an elf but Jaemin makes sure to capture and save every moment inside his mind, safely tucked away where time wouldn't be able to touch and ruin it.</p><p>He wants to remember this — he wants to remember it all: how Renjun's smile looks like, how his eyes shine just as bright as the stars that hang on the sky, how he holds so much power and life inside a small frame, how he kisses him sweetly every time before falling sleep, the shape of their lips memorized against each other's mouth so he could sleep thinking about them.</p><p>"Dream about me so you won't miss me too much then, my heart."</p><p>Renjun opens a lazy smile. He tilts his head up and brushes their lips together, his hand sliding up Jaemin's arm to rest against the side of his face, thumb caressing over his cheekbone. "Even then, I think I'd still miss you a lot."</p><p>"Hm... Would you? I don't know about that."</p><p>"I would." Renjun answers with so much conviction that Jaemin feels himself get choked up, the back of his throat burning. Renjun leaves another soft kiss, this time on Jaemin's chin, before his hand trails even more up and his thumb traces the outline of Jaemin's pointy ear. "I know I would."</p><p>There's a warm puff of air against his mouth before it's captured by another, fingers brushing against the pointy ear before it slides down to rest on the side of Jaemin's neck, knees bumping against each other once more. It's a slow kiss, nothing more than lips touching, confessions being exchanged with every intake and exhale of breath, with every wandering hand and trembling eyelash against their cheeks.</p><p>Jaemin loves him. He loves Renjun so much that he feels like his heartbeat pulses on the rhythm of his name, echoing his devotion for anyone to hear. <em>Ren. Jun. Ren. Jun. Ren. Jun. </em>There's no doubt in him that he'd face anything to be able to keep him by his side, to continue loving him until the stars died and the earth came to an end.</p><p>It's simple and it's easy and it's not going to happen — and they both know it very well.</p><p>"Are you leaving tomorrow too?" Renjun asks, his voice drawling a little. He looks so cute with furred brows and a pout that Jaemin leans in to kiss him again just because he can still do it. "Or are you staying in?"</p><p>"I'm staying in," Jaemin answers, using one hand to brush some of the hair away from Renjun's forehead. He's so beautiful that Jaemin mistook him for an elf the first time they'd met — and the second time too, only realizing his mistake after he caught a glimpse at Renjun's rounded ears. "I'll help you with the gardens and anything else you need, but I'll be hunting the next day. Will you want to join me?"</p><p>"Of course! I can't wait for that!" Renjun snuggles close to Jaemin and rests his head on his chest, taking a deep breath before looking up at him. "Sleep well?"</p><p>"<em>Posto mae,</em>" Jaemin says.</p><p>"<em>Posto mae,</em>" Renjun repeats, copying the intonation the best he can. He drops a kiss on Jaemin's clothed chest, right over his heart. "<em>Posto mae</em><em>, melethen.</em>"</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(i'll add here after reveals)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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